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@eine te-tra @strat @fitta IMPROVEMENT lINV ENVELOPES.

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To ALL WHOM ITzMAY- ooNoERN;

Be it known that I, J. C.Y`GASTON, of Cincinnati, in the county of Hamilton, aud `State of Ohio, have` invented a. new and improved Mode of Securing Closed Envelopes, of which the following'is a full and clear description, reference being hadto the accompanying drawings, making part of this specification. v

.will thereby be protected;

My invention relates to a new and improved method of constructing envelopes, whereby they are prevented from being opened clandestinely, as hereinafter explained. A i

'Ihe drawing represents a front view of au envelope 'with my improvement applied, before being closed.

I construct my envelope in the usual manner, and after the end aps A are bent or folded in place, either before orl after they are gummed, I perforatc both the ends of the apsand the back with a series of fine parallel slits, as shown at B. After vthe letter. is closed, the flap C is pasted orv fastened down in the usual manner, thereby entirely covering and obscuring the perforations from View.

When thus constructed and closed, it will be found that any attempt to open it by clandestinely raising the edge ofthe lap' C, will 'at once rupture or tear the paper of the flaps A where they are perforated, and thus will aiford the sureaueans of detecting any effort thus made. A person attempting to thus tamper with a. letter, seeing that such effort willresult in the certaintyv of detection, will be det-erred from proceeding, audits contents If the perforations were made inthe ends of the'laps A alone, and these folded over the back, as is sometimes done, instead of the back being folded over them, it will only be necessary to make the perforations in the flaps alone, and not in the back. In cases whore the end flaps do not meet at the centre, the perforations will be made in the back, which consists of a single thickness. Thefperforations may be made by any suitablel machinery when the envelope is cut out, or ,they may be made by a suitable hand-instrument when the envelope is used;Y the first plan being adapted to cases in which the ends of the flaps A only are perforated, while the latter can best be used where both the flaps and the back aleperforated. t

By this method of constructing the envelope, and having the perforated portion concealed by the ap C when closed, the latter will have the appearance of an ordinary envelope, and there will be nothing in 'its appearance-to, indicate that the letter contains valuables, asis the casc in all envelopes in which the perforations appear on the exterior, and thus there will be nothing to' indicate in its-appearance anything unusual tc attract the attention of those whojvould be likely to tamper with it if itvbore on its face external evidence that it contained valuables.

The main object attained'bythe specific arrangementof the perforation's or slits so as to be invisible or l concealed when the envelope is closed in the usual way for mailing, is, that it avoids exciting the cupid'ity of persons handling th'e letter, while it furnishes a security against any attempt that may be vmade totamper with it.

Having thus described myiinventon, what I claim, is l An envelope having the perforations in the end ilapsor back, or both, so located as to be covered and coneealed by'vthc closing flap C, when closed, substantially as and for tho purpose set forth. i

J. e. GASTON.

W'tnesses:

CHARLES L. FISHER, SAMUEL R. RUSSELL. 

